Burke trials make for busy card for Jones

Trainer Paul Jones will have a predictable routine at Los Alamitos on Saturday evening.

The track's leading trainer, Jones has 20 starters in the 10 races, all 350-yard time trials for the Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 20. He will be easy to find, carving a path between the paddock, walking ring, and grandstand. The unknown aspect of the evening is how many trips he will make to the winner's circle.

He will be expected to do so in the third race with Bring the Bling. Few 2-year-olds have generated as much backstretch buzz at Los Alamitos this spring as Bring the Bling, who won a 300-yard maiden race by 2 1/2 lengths in a quick 15.46 seconds on April 16. A full brother to Champion of Champions winners Ocean Runaway and Wave Carver, Bring the Bling races for Dan Lucas.

"He's a horse that I really think is up to all of the hype that he's been getting," said Jones, 43. "Even though both of his brothers were so good, I think he's already ahead of both of them."

In the sixth and seventh races, Jones starts the maiden winners Carvalho and Lookingforchemistry. Lookingforchemistry will be tested by Faster Car, who won a 300-yard maiden race in 15.40 seconds on May 21.

While Jones has leading contenders in several trials, he does not train the most accomplished runner among the 82 hopefuls for the $1 million final.

Twin Spires, the undefeated winner of the Kindergarten Futurity on May 16, starts in the eighth race and will be one of the shortest prices of the night. Trained by Jaime Gomez for the Dutch Masters III partnership, Twin Spires has earned $133,840 from his three wins.

Runners will need one of the 10 fastest times of the evening, regardless of finishing position, to earn a berth to the final.

There are only three finalists from the Kindergarten in the Burke trials. Azshecanfly, who finished a troubled eighth in the Kindergarten as the 6-5 favorite, will be favored in the fifth division. Tylerite, sixth in the Kindergarten, starts in the final trial. Other trials are not as deep. The first race, for example, has eight maidens.

Freaky lowers 400-yard track record

The Los Alamitos surface has played quickly this spring.

On May 30, Freaky set a 400-yard track record of 19.17 seconds, winning a division of the Vessels Maturity trials. Back in March, Freaky set a 350-yard track record of 17.14 seconds.

Freaky lowered Little Bit of Baja's 2008 track record for 400 yards by .10 of a second. Owned by Armando Aguirre and trained by Adan Farias, Freaky has won 5 of 19 starts. Farias won all three divisions of the Vessels Maturity trials, with Fighter on Fire and Premier Venu taking the other divisions. The $150,000 final is June 19.